A sheet metal gauge sometimes spelled gage indicates the standard thickness of sheet metal for a specific material.
How thick is 16 gauge aluminum sheet metal.
16 0598 1 5 0508 1 3 0625 1 6 17 0538 1 4 0453 1 2 0562 1 4 18.
Gauge differs between ferrous iron based metals and nonferrous metals such as aluminum or copper.
For example in one gauge system 18 gauge steel measures 0 0478 inches thick but 18 gauge aluminum is 0 0403 inches thick.
Gauge sheet steel.
Copper thickness for example is measured in ounces representing the weight of copper contained in an area of one square foot.
Because of the varying thicknesses a gauge chart should be used to ensure the metal meets the required dimensions.
Sheet metal thickness gauges for steel are based on a weight of 41 82 pounds per square foot per inch of thickness.
Use the chart below to convert standard gauge numbers in decimals of an inch for sheet steel aluminum and stainless steel.
The equivalent thicknesses differ for each gauge size standard which were developed based on the weight of the sheet for a given material.
Gauge to thickness chart gauge stainless galvanized sheet steel aluminum fraction inches mm inches mm inches mm inches mm 30 0 0125 0 33 0 0157 0 40 0 0120 0 30 0 0100 0 25.
Commonly used steel sheet metal ranges from 30 gauge to about 7 gauge.
As the gauge number increases the material thickness decreases.